Ampyx Power introduces an entirely new way of generating power: an unmanned glider! With a 12-metre wingspan, the aircraft pulls 'eights' in the air, harvesting wind energy. Like raising a large kite on a cable and converting its pulling power into energy. They call it an Airborne Wind Energy System. We spot them at the event fair Robobusiness at the World Forum in The Hague.
"In the upper air layers in a much more constant, but also a much harder wind. And a conventional wind turbine cannot get there. With our solution, you have a much more efficient way of harnessing wind energy with much less effort and much lower costs." The first "real" aircraft should take to the skies in 2018, Ampyx Power's Kevin Rand tells us. And the first contract is in place. Just before the event, energy company E.ON awarded a contract after development was achieved mainly through crowdfunding. E.ON has been involved in wind power for about 20 years and its oldest turbines are due for replacement. The company sees the next step in this new technology.
The principle
Founder Richard Ruiterkamp started working on the idea as a student back in 2004. Stimulated by Wubbo Ockels, he developed a PowerPlane, based on the principle that you can generate electricity with a kite. He has since demonstrated that the principle works. A glider is connected with a cable to a generator. While flying, the aircraft 'pulls' hard on the cable which thereby generates the energy. The forces exerted on the cable are, of course, enormous. And the cable must remain taut during take-off and landing. To do this, the cable is attached to the generator with a winch. The system operates completely unmanned, including take-off and landing. Sensors measure the wind present and the system determines - like a true autopilot - whether it is sufficient for a flight and, if so, chooses to take off. Fully automatic.
Commercial system
Extensive test flights are being carried out at a test site in Ireland. Work is under way on a commercially deployable system with a 28-metre wingspan capable of generating 2 MW, comparable to the output of a sizeable wind turbine. The 'kites' will mostly be deployable in the same kind of locations where wind farms are currently located. In sparsely populated areas or on floating platforms at sea. Should the cable break, the winch rolls the cable in at an accelerated rate and the aircraft lands on autopilot. Safety first.
Ampyx Power replaces large amounts of concrete and steel with state-of-the-art technology. A glider with a 2 MW capacity weighs about 10,000 kilos, while a 2 MW wind turbine including mast goes towards 300,000 kilos. Surely that makes quite a difference. The idea is that a wind farm with around 100 aircraft will be controlled by a SCADA system, as is now used in conventional wind farms. Of course, the aircraft also have to fly in a coordinated manner among themselves. For that, a radar-controlled system, combined with satellite information that also generates risk and maintenance information. The aircraft are synchronised in groups so that they can operate between 400 and 500 metres apart without interfering with each other.
Aviation authorities
The certification processes with the European Aviation Safety Agency are in full swing. All prototypes meet the safety standards required even for civil aviation. The company is working with aviation authorities on regulation for deployment. The aircraft fly at altitudes of up to 450 metres, limiting disruption to smaller aviation. Around 50 companies worldwide are working on this technology, including Google's incorporated Makani. There, of course, the resources are slightly more widely available than at Ampyx Power, but the lead the Dutch start-up has, 2 MW compared to Makani's 650 kW, seems significant. Ampyx works with subsidy and crowdfunding and they are still looking for investors!
By: Janet Kooren
